Soda aka Pop.......

[THE HCP]

Whatever you call it....... has been my one vice over the years. Even though I know how bad it has been for me, I continued to drink it.

Well this is the 8th day I have gone without any!!! I can not think of a day in the past 21 years or so that I haven't had any. For years I had a couple big gulps a day.......

I don't smoke or drink on the regular, so this is a very big deal for me. First couple days I had a horrible headache, but been fine ever since. Hope I can keep this up.

Any of you guys ever done this, would love to hear about how it went for you.

 

[BlazerWookee]

I switched to diet sodas a few months back, and not only did my blood sugar levels drop out of the danger zone for diabetes, a pack of smokes now lasts me almost two whole weeks.

 

[Wheels]

dude I love Coke. Maybe its the Mexican in me, and learning while down in Mexico to have Coke with Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

The headaches will suck for a while. But keep it up. I still have Pop in moderation (maybe one a week) but you will feel better if you stick with it.

 

[Wheels]

and yeah if Diet is an option. Coke Zero works for me.

 

[THE HCP]

I was going to just switch to diet, but I said fuck it and went cold turkey like a motherfucker! It hasn't been easy.

 

[Denny Crane]

I was going to just switch to diet, but I said fuck it and went cold turkey like a motherfucker! It hasn't been easy.

It gets hot and you get thirsty standing around outside Home Depot?

 

[THE HCP]

Was just reading this

How Much Weight You Can Lose:

Replace your Double Gulp with water to reduce your annual calorie intake by 209,875 calories or almost 60 pounds in a year.

Replace your Super Big Gulp with water to reduce your annual calorie intake by 167,900 calories or almost 48 pounds per year.

Replace your Big Gulp with water to reduce your annual calorie intake by 125,925 calories or 36 pounds per year.

Replace your Gulp with water to reduce your annual calorie intake by 83,950 or calories or 24 pounds per year.

Replace your large Coca Cola at McDonalds to reduce your annual calorie intake by 113,150 or calories or 32 pounds per year.

Replace your medium Coca Cola at McDonalds (16 oz) to reduce your annual calorie intake by 54,750 calories or just over 15 pounds per year.

Replace your 12 ounce can of Coke with water every day and save 51,100 calories per year or about 15 pounds per year.
Is Diet Soda Any Better?

Transitioning from a high calorie soda to a drink that is artificially sweetened can be a tricky fix. In fact, you might be replacing one kind of addiction for another.

Studies have shown that when we eat sweet foods, whether they are naturally or artificially sweetened, our appetites increase. So if you replace your regular pop with a diet variety you might be eliminating calories only to replace them again when your sugar craving kicks in.

So how do you kick the soda habit? Switching to a diet pop might be the most gentle step down if you are used to having a full calorie soda during the day. If you’re used to drinking a Big Gulp full of Coke, try having a smaller sized Diet Coke and several bottles of water instead. Gradually increase your water intake and decrease the soda. Once you learn how to make water taste better, it becomes easier to switch to an all-water habit.

With just a few simple changes, you can make big adjustments to your waistline and your wallet. Eventually, you’ll feel better, your body will look better and your piggy bank will thank you as well.

 

[THE HCP]

It gets hot and you get thirsty standing around outside Home Depot?

#racistjokes

 

[julius]

Good job HCP!

 

[Denny Crane]

#racistjokes

#hispaniccausinpanicjokes

 

[RR7]

great job HCP. I think cold turkey is definitely the way to go. Switching to diet would seemingly make it that much easier to just switch back to the real thing when diet was unavailable. I used to have 2-3 cans of pop a day when I was younger. I moved out to Portland when I was 21, and just because I was shopping for myself, instead of having my mom always buying it, I just stopped buying it. Once it wasn't around me, I found it easy to not want one. I'll still have one occasionally, but not too often.

 

[Denny Crane]

I drink a 16oz bottle of diet soda with/after dinner. Not sure why I should eliminate soda altogether.

 

[Eastoff]

Congratulations HCP. Keep strong and don't give in to temptation. Just one is a slippery slope to just one more and just one more.

 

[THE HCP]

Good job HCP!

Thanks man. I fell like a crackhead though........ it's everywhere I look. Every day at work, the plane everywhere.

 

[santeesioux]

I stopped cold turkey about a year back and only drink it when i eat fast food about month a month or so. I can't believe just how bad Pepsi is.

 

[THE HCP]

I drink a 16oz bottle of diet soda with/after dinner. Not sure why I should eliminate soda altogether.

If its not effecting your health, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm overweight and know that soda is the main reason why. I've been drinking thousands of empty calories for years now.

 

[THE HCP]

I stopped cold turkey about a year back and only drink it when i eat fast food about month a month or so. I can't believe just how bad Pepsi is.

Have you felt better, lost weight?

 

[santeesioux]

Have you felt better, lost weight?

I feel better, but i am just too lazy to exercise, so i haven't lost a lot. I drank mainly diet before though, so that may have a lot to do with it.

 

[speeds]

We're addicted to fizz at this house so we bought a Sodastream machine. Even the non-diet flavour syrups are low in calories (35 vs. 100 for a Coke), sodium (2mg vs. 30mg), carbs (7g vs. 27g), and sugar (7g vs. 27g). The diet options have no calories, carbs or sugar, and are still low in sodium. The only flavour we haven't liked has been cream soda (clear Crush from Quebec is amazing so our standards are too high).

 

[THE HCP]

Was told I should try Sparkling Ice or other flavored carbonated drinks.

 

[porkchopexpress]

We're addicted to fizz at this house so we bought a Sodastream machine. Even the non-diet flavour syrups are low in calories (35 vs. 100 for a Coke), sodium (2mg vs. 30mg), carbs (7g vs. 27g), and sugar (7g vs. 27g). The diet options have no calories, carbs or sugar, and are still low in sodium. The only flavour we haven't liked has been cream soda (clear Crush from Quebec is amazing so our standards are too high).

The natural cola flavor (supposed to be like Mexican Coke) isn't bad. My wife and I bought a sodastream this January and love it. We've replaced most of our soda drinking with either the natural cola mix or shrubs (fruit/sugar/vinegar syrup) that we've been making. I think we end up drinking less than we would with a bottle/can of coke. Maybe we aren't, but I feel better about drinking a soda that i made myself, knowing all of the ingredients that went into it. If anyone has had the drinking vinegars at Pok Pok, that's essentially what we've been making.

 

[Denny Crane]

If its not effecting your health, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm overweight and know that soda is the main reason why. I've been drinking thousands of empty calories for years now.

Diet soda. 0 calories.

 

[THE HCP]

Diet soda. 0 calories.

Yeah, I know. Just read about how bad some of the chemicals are in diet sodas.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Diet soda. 0 calories.

Calories aren't everything. I'd rather drink a regular coke (cane sugar version) than a diet any day. Of course, if the sugar/calories were the biggest risk to me (diabetic, overweight, etc), that'd be different, but as a relatively healthy person I'll always opt for regular soda.

 

[Denny Crane]

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast

Diet Sodas Cause Weight Gain? Not so Fast

Popkin cites research, including his own, showing that people who drink artificially sweetened sodas as part of a calorie-restricted diet lose weight. So does Maureen Storey, PhD, who is senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association.

“The current body of available science shows that low-calorie sweeteners -- such as those used in diet soft drinks -- can help reduce calories and aid in maintaining a healthy weight,” Storey tells WebMD.

She points out that the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association support the use of no-calorie sweeteners to restrict calories and sugar intake.

“Drinking diet beverages alone, however, is not enough to counter overeating -- the only way to maintain a healthy weight is by balancing calories consumed with calories burned.”

 

[Denny Crane]

Calories aren't everything. I'd rather drink a regular coke (cane sugar version) than a diet any day. Of course, if the sugar/calories were the biggest risk to me (diabetic, overweight, etc), that'd be different, but as a relatively healthy person I'll always opt for regular soda.

I think either way you get no nutrition other than the calories. The calories can't help since they're empty.

At 140 calories for a can of soda, you get actual nutrition from a 140 calorie cup of orange juice.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I was a huge diet coke drinker for many years. Read a few times how diet soda is also bad, so I slowed way down. Used to have a garage full of cans for a decade. Now I add a bag about every 3-4 months.

I switched to iced tea and flavored sparkling waters. I try to drink plain old water as much as possible, but always seem to be looking for something else to drink.

 

[porkchopexpress]

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast

Diet Sodas Cause Weight Gain? Not so Fast

Popkin cites research, including his own, showing that people who drink artificially sweetened sodas as part of a calorie-restricted diet lose weight. So does Maureen Storey, PhD, who is senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association.

“The current body of available science shows that low-calorie sweeteners -- such as those used in diet soft drinks -- can help reduce calories and aid in maintaining a healthy weight,” Storey tells WebMD.

She points out that the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association support the use of no-calorie sweeteners to restrict calories and sugar intake.

“Drinking diet beverages alone, however, is not enough to counter overeating -- the only way to maintain a healthy weight is by balancing calories consumed with calories burned.”

I think you've posted that before, but weight gain isn't the only health concern. Of course for diabetics, sugar free options is the best choice, but I don't think it is for relatively healthy person. That'd be like saying a gluten free diet is the best option for all people because some are sensitive to gluten. Or Atkins is the best since some people are helped by cutting out all carbs.

 

[Da Bears Oregon]

I quit soda about 2 years ago as part of my losing weight (25 lbs) and being healthier regime. I loved drinking it, but now I don't have the desire anymore. On occasion I'll have one every 4 months or so, but its so overwhelmingly sweet tasting that I cant even finish 1/2 of a can. Good luck.

 

[julius]

I quit soda about 2 years ago as part of my losing weight (25 lbs) and being healthier regime. I loved drinking it, but now I don't have the desire anymore. On occasion I'll have one every 4 months or so, but its so overwhelmingly sweet tasting that I cant even finish 1/2 of a can. Good luck.

I noticed the same thing. Unless it's watered down a ton, I can't stomach a can of pop or even diet pop since I quit.